Environmental Education

• Bottom Paint

• Grass Beds

• Run Off

• Exotic Species (and Diseases)

• Trawling

• Catch and Release

• Harbors and Sounds

• Recycle Water

• Social Problems
   

Bottom Paint

As boating becomes more popular we have to give serious consideration to the methods that are used to discourage unwanted marine growth. Better ideas need to be developed in this area. Boating is here to stay and the number of boats left in the water will only increase. A practical non toxic solution to the problem of marine growth on the hulls of boats must be developed in the immediate future. Residue that remains from the toxins and other contaminants that have been unintentionally spread about in the near shore area should be identified and cleaned up. A practical, economical technique needs to he developed to accomplish the task of recovering most of these contaminants that already exist in the substrate of many coastal bays and sounds.

These special paints have hut one purpose: to discourage unwanted marine growth.  They must be treated carefully. Caution must he taken while handling and applying these dangerous chemicals.  The preparation of the bottom of a boat for another coat of bottom paint can he a very hazardous task.  Read the labels on the paint can before you open it.  Be careful working with the paint that is already on the hull. The dust that is produced from these paints contains dangerous toxins. It is very important that another non-toxic method he found to accomplish the same task.

Many of the toxins in these paints will remain in the coastal environment for a long time.  (back to top)

Grass beds

Grass beds are a very important habitat, as well as being important to holding the ocean’s underwater soils together, and preventing unseen underwater erosion. Many grass beds have already disappeared and the cause of this loss must be identified and dealt with as soon as possible.   (back to top)

Runoff.

 This is water and other substances that enter the ocean environment, mainly during rain storms. Not only does the runoff contain many unwanted substances, the excess fresh water changes the salt content (salinity) in the natural environment and can stop the growth of fish and shellfish natural to the area. This runoff may actually begin hundreds of miles inland entering streams and rivers. Most substances eventually work their way downstream finding an area of neutral tidal flow near the beginning of the sea and settle out of the water column there. Contaminants in the ocean waters often work their way towards these same areas of neutral tidal flow to settle out of the oceans water column. This near shore area is the same habitat that most of the life in the sea depends upon as it’s nursery’ area. This area must he recovered.   (back to top)
 

Cook Shellfish

Shellfish, like all meats, can make you ill if not properly prepared. Cooking not only enhances the flavor, it also makes them easy to open, providing a delicious meal with very little effort.   (back to top)

Exotic Species (and Diseases)

These are species of marine life that are not natural to a certain part of the world. 

Many times when an exotic species is unintentionally transplanted to a new area there are no predators to control its development. These exotic species have the opportunity to reproduce at an alarming rate, often severely reducing natural populations of other species in a given area. The control of exotic species must he monitored seriously. The detrimental affects of an exotic species can happen very quickly in the ocean. Often these species and illnesses remain unnoticed by everyone for long periods of time.   (back to top)

Trawling

This is the use of funnel shaped nets towed behind a boat to harvest food fish and shellfish from the ocean. 

Fishermen during recent years have accepted many changes to net designs, put forward by the scientific community, that allow small and unwanted fish to escape from these nets while they are being fished. Other designs used in some areas also allow for turtles to be excluded from these nets. Full time fishermen are doing everything in their power to preserve the habitat, and to encourage the recovery of fish stocks. This is their livelihood and it is only natural that they., as a group, are very concerned with the continued protection of the natural fisheries and spawning grounds.   (back to top)

Catch and Release

This is a relatively new scheme to the coastal area. The idea is to target undersize fish and catch them for enjoyment. human enjoyment.

This scheme has been developed to sell more lightweight fishing tackle.  The effect this type of fishing is having on stocks, that are now recovering, is not good.  These fish are being targeted and often severely injured for the fun of it.  This type of fishing activity is not consistent with the policies of today that promote the rebuilding of fish stocks.  (back to top)

Harbors and Sounds

These are the coastal areas that accumulate the unseen wastes of society.

Plymouth Harbor in Massachusetts is simply an example of the many harbors along the coast that need attention.

North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound is so large that it is virtually an inland sea. This body of water and its tributaries are undoubtedly amongst the most important Eco-systems in this country. Society must take responsibility for this huge habitat. We must start to look at the big picture. The whole area rather than segments of this Ecosystem. This particular sound and its tributaries are suffering rapid degradation as different user groups try to develop new schemes to promote this area as something other than what it is, and should remain. Country living on large rural tracts of  land.   (back to top)

Recycle Water

Society must develop acceptable ways to recycle a significant amount of the fresh water that we currently waste.

We use most water only once then send it on its way through a sewer plant to be processed and disposed of.  Perhaps it is time society considers new methods of water use and disposal. Thus encouraging the development of new technology for home water recycling.  Washing machines would be a good place to start.  If water from this process alone were reduced, coastal sewer processing plants may regain some of their effectiveness. 

This is only a stopgap measure. New ways of dealing with waste must he developed and quickly. The dumping of wastes into the ocean will have to he curtailed at some point. Society can not survive without fresh water, and we are currently dumping it into the ocean much faster than it could ever replenish itself.   (back to top)

Social Problems

Society has always suffered from growing pains. User groups of any shared resource have always tried to convince society, or at least it’s leaders, that their group deserves a bigger part of a given resource or other special considerations. 

This usually leads to further discontent and resentment and does nothing for the resource in question.  Leaders need to make a firm stand against changes that are not backed up by real facts and historical figures.

Marine science is a relatively new field and often full time fishermen are more aware of causes and effects than one might think.  They have to be.  This is their livelihood.  Other larger groups of weekend fishermen with limited information often try to change rules and regulations without putting forward or knowing all the pertinent information.  When this is not successful, they only try harder, often becoming bitter and obsessive.

There is no solution to this problem other than education.   (back to top)